ENG208.501 Topics in Early British Literaure: Into The Wild

Summer 2012

SHORT EXAM #3

King Lear

Figure 1. Derek Jacobi as King Lear (National Theater, London)

Part I: Short Answer: Informational (5 questions X 10 points each = 50 points)

Please answer the following 5 questions in a full paragraph or two [a "full" paragraph being AT LEAST 5-7 sentences], and always be sure to be as concrete, specific, and detailed as possible in your answers, even including direct quotations. Be sure to consult links on the Syllabus for help with these, and you may also use material beyond what I provide on the Syllabus if you think that would help -- just always be sure to properly attribute your sources and give credit for other person's ideas and writing.

1. When does the Fool disappear from the play, and what are some of the possible reasons for that, according to Ian Johnston?

2. What happens between Edmund, Goneril, and Regan?

3. What happens when Edgar first meets his father, Gloucester, in the wilderness?

4. What are some of the things you learned about the play from the BBC radio program on King Lear?

5. Who is Kent and how would you describe his role in the play?

Part II: Short Response: Interpretive (2 questions X 25 points each = 50 points)

Please respond to the following 2 prompts with at least TWO to THREE full paragraphs, and BE SURE to include in your responses very specific details from the works under discussion [specific scene and plot details, direct quotations of the text, etc.]. There are no right or wrong responses to the prompts below, but whatever your interpretation(s) of the narrative(s) you discuss, you MUST ground that interpretation in a very CLOSE attention to the small details and language of the work(s) under consideration.

1. What does Lear learn about himself and his life, and about the world more generally, when he ends up outside in the storm?

2. Explore the idea of "bonds" in the play [bond = a uniting force such as family or friendship, a tie/connection, obligation, duty].

This Short Exam #3 is due to the Instructor by midnight on Saturday, June 9th; please type your Exam as a Microsft Word document, saving it with either a .doc or .docx file extension, and send it to Eileen Joy as an email attachment: eileenajoy@gmail.com. It's a good idea to cut and paste the Exam questions and prompts from here into your Word document and then fill in your own responses after each one. Please save your file as: Short Exam 3_YourLastName.